Lizards of a New World
by YahBoyParagon
Summary: The RDA is not pleased with the way things turned out on Pandora. In an effort to stay employed, Parker goes to plan B. Now the rampant roars and stomps of giants shatter the peace and tranquility of the Na'vi, and again they have to fight for their lives. The RDA is determined to make their fortune and these predators are determined to find a meal on their new hunting grounds.
1. The House of Predators

**Chapter 1: The House of Predators  
**

The Na'vi carefully guarded the remaining survivors of the RDA's excursion on Pandora, and watched as they got into their ships and disappeared into the sky. The last ship to leave was by far the biggest, and thus was the ship that carried most of the remaining humans.

Parker Selfridge was the last person to leave. A single Na'vi stood by the large cargo bay doors, he recognized him as Jake, the traitor responsible for their failed efforts. All that time and all those resources...wasted, and all because of him. He was no longer human in Parker's eyes. He was one of them now, and he would pay, just like them.

Parker passed him, but made no effort to look into his eyes. He briefly thought about saying something to the savage, but for some reason felt it was not as important as keeping quiet.

He got on the ship and pressed the controls for the door to shut. As it slowly closed, Parker stared into Jake's eyes. Despite the situation, neither said a word, only kept staring. The mutual frustration between them did not need to be said.

The doors finally closed and Parker stood by the window, watching the ground become smaller and smaller.

After a few minutes, a medical officer, dressed in light green scrubs, gently put a hand on his shoulder, "You need to get in your pod, sir."

He kept looking at the planet that could single handedly keep the RDA in business for another hundred years. His scowl deepened the more he thought about the grizzly defeat that happened a few hours ago and the men he was partly responsible for sending to their deaths. With a final breath of frustration, he walked with the medical officer along the rows of cryogenic stasis pods.

He looked up at the very large, stark white room; there were large circular indentations and handles along the walls, signifying that their was a pod there. Ladders were placed evenly around the room for people to get to the pods higher up.

The feeling of resentment and defeat hung in the air as tangibly as the sterile, hospital like smell of the room. These feelings, along with the fact that there were now a lot more pods than people, left a bad taste in Parker's mouth. He shook his head partly in shame and partly in frustration as they walked.

It took a long time to traverse the large room. So long, in fact that his footsteps felt much lighter than a few minutes ago. They had finally began to leave Pandora's gravitational pull.

Once finally reaching his pod, the officer helped him in and put an oxygen mask over his face. The officer looked down and smiled warmly, "Don't worry, sir. We'll get 'em next time," the officer winked at him and closed the hatch.

_Next time...next time...next...time... _

* * *

After witnessing the star ships disappear into the sky, Neytiri thought about the events that had transpired; the sky people, who had been on her planet for a very long time, before her even, were finally driven away once and for all. Greed and hunger drove them through the stars, destroying everything in their way, a path she couldn't believe they followed.

Jake had told stories of how on his home world, species fell before their very eyes, a world they could not survive in, and if given enough time, the same would happen to Pandora.

Neytiri shook it off, and was overwhelmed with joy at the momentous victory over the sky people. She took Jake's hand and began to lead him to the jungle, when she felt a tinge of restraint against her.

"Jake, what troubles you in this great time," her head cocked to the side, and her ears moved slightly, curiously.

He never took his eyes off the sky. He was staring so intently, like it was about to jump out and take him. Of course with what just happened, that might not be so off base.

"Nothing. Just got a bad feeling that this isn't the last time they'll be here."

* * *

Once they arrived on Earth, Parker had a sinking feeling in his gut because he knew he'd have to answer to a lot of people. People that could leave him without a job.

"What do you plan to say to them," Parker's assistant asked as they headed to the board room. Young, and inexperienced in the world of business, she was curious how Parker would talk his way out of trouble, as he was so famous for being able to do.

He chuckled and started to smooth out the wrinkles of his shirt. "Well I'm going to explain to them that what happened there was because of a certain someone not being able to muscle his way into Hell's Gate. Something else though...we had plenty of power, but...maybe not the right kind of power."

Parker kept walking as she stopped, with a puzzled expression. He walked through the large doors, to find a committee of three people, all high ranking executives in the RDA, and all looking for blood. Parker saw them and put on his usual witty sarcastic tone, "Don't worry, guys, I'm back."

He pulled up a seat at the table, across from his peers. A man sitting at the head of the table across from Parker, glared at him with venomous frustration. He had graying black hair, but his face held a lot less age than his hair let on. He stood up and and pulled a piece of paper from his brief case, "I can't believe what I'm looking at! These figures are absolutely insane. You are going to run this business into the ground. God knows how long it will take to recover, if we do at all!"

Parker nodded in understanding, "Believe me, I know how bad the situation is more than anyone. But I believe I have a solution that will not only regain what we've lost, but return our investment ten fold!"

The chosen voice for the executives snorted and curled his lip in anger, "What do you propose we do? Because your first plan obviously hasn't put us in a bad way before."

Parker raised his hands in a mock surrender, "I know, I know. We lost the initial battle, but I believe we can get this job done by...less traditional means. In these packets I'm handing you, lies this company's trump card."

Once everyone had received a small portfolio, they opened and viewed the contents inside. Parker watched the mixed expressions of shock, wonder, and skepticism. The gray haired man looked up from his packet with a sort of awed wonder, "Are these...viable? How will they be the answer to our problems?"

"We can have these and a few other species ready within the next six months. Our scientists are a lot better than we give them credit for. As for your other question...these animals will be far more effective than any brass or steel. While being ruthlessly efficient at what they do, they will also instill fear into the hearts of those savages. Also in this packet, I've taken the liberty of putting in some rough projections of future expenses."

He watched as they found the paper, and as they shifted uncomfortably at the amount. After a few minutes of debating amongst themselves, the gray haired man looked to Parker with a solemn expression, "Your terms are acceptable. We'll give you six months to show us promise that your little project will be ready or we'll pull the plug."

"I'll get right on it," Parker said with a smirk.

* * *

Six months ago, Dr. Miya Johnson had been tasked the duty of looking after some of the larger animals while they grew and developed. She had watched as they changed from harmless and frail babies, into ruthless hunters. She'd been afraid of them at first, but over time became attached to them.

She was one of the youngest scientists at the RDA, and as such, was under a lot of scrutiny by the older, more experienced members. The other scientists were just jealous that they weren't picked for the big animals of this operation. The fact is that she was one of the best the RDA had to offer. She'd been a rising star at Harvard, and graduated at the top of her class. After several months of job hunting and trying to pay back student loans, the RDA approached her with a six figure contract, and the promise that she'll love her job.

And love her job she did.

It was almost time to show the board of executives just how far they'd come.

She stood on a series of catwalks that stood above several large holding pens. The domed glass beneath her held an environment almost exactly like the one found on Pandora. The dense foliage masked some of the animals, but couldn't mask the shaking and rustling of the leaves as something brushed past the trees.

Beneath the glass, the atmosphere was exactly the same, and they even recovered a few of the native species for the animals to hunt while they grew. Ordinarily the animals wouldn't have been able to survive, but that matter was solved by changing a few things within their chromosomes. She didn't know the exact process, but these animals would be able to easily adapt to the harsh environment.

In fact, that wasn't the only thing different about these creatures. She noticed they were slightly smarter than she would have expected, and most certainly bigger and faster. Especially the raptors, but that wasn't her department. The raptors had to have their very own behavioral scientists and keepers watching them round the clock. They had made several ingenious attempts at escaping, but each one was caught in time before worst case scenario.

Every animal had been injected with a series of growth hormones across different developmental stages, to ensure they would be ready when the time came to show off their skills. She was confident that they would not let the executives down. She walked along the catwalk until she had come upon a series of controls.

Under the little red buttons, were holographic labels of animals and the scientist that was tasked with said animal. She skimmed the buttons until her finger came upon the button labeled, "Tyrannosaur." She smiled, "My favorite time of the day. Feeding time."

She pressed it and all of the sudden, the paddock below her made a low rumble, the sound of an engine. Then the calls of clearly distressed direhorses.

She watched as the creatures walked to a small pond in the middle of the pen. They nervously drank, bobbing their heads up and down to watch for danger. If they only knew she thought. There were four of them, all very nervous about the new environment.

Having drank their fill, the direhorses noticed some low lying shrubs that looked appetizing. They kept vigilant as they walked, but still had an eye on their prize. When they reached the shrubs, a lone Tyrannosaur exploded from its' hiding place among the trees. It roared and made a show of itself, but did not attack. The direhorses made loud calls of danger and started running in the other direction.

Dr. Johnson started writing on her clipboard the situation that was happening below her. She whispered to herself, "One..."

All of the sudden another Tyrannosaur sprung from the direction that the direhorses were running, it too displayed its superior size and strength.

"Two..."

The direhorses had two hungry Tyrannosaurs on both sides, they only had two routes of escape left. They ran for their lives in one of the directions that had no predators in the way...or so they thought. At that moment, another Tyrannosaur burst from the trees and the three chased the direhorses in the opposite direction.

"Three..."

The direhorses were slightly faster than the Tyrannosaurs and were beginning to get away. They ran as fast as their legs would allow, and the lead direhorse ran right into the jaws of a waiting fourth Tyrannosaur. It bit down on its' neck, and with one crunch, the creature was silenced. The Tyrannosaur stood to its' full height and began to shake the poor creature back and forth, making sure it was dead before throwing it to the ground. The remaining direhorses were cornered and were also torn apart by the remaining Tyrannosaurs.

Dr. Johnson triumphantly said, "Four."

She smiled, with an appreciation of a proud parent. She was present during the hatching of the two 'parent' Tyrannosaurs, and watched as they grew up to be the giants they are now. She called them the parents because they were the original Tyrannosaurs that were going to be shown, but some people up top thought that they needed more muscle, and so they introduced two, at the time, sub adults, now fully grown Tyrannosaurs, which she calls the 'kids'.

She had names for all of them, of course. The first Tyrannosaurus that surprised the direhorses was the older female, White tip. She was named after the peculiar white tip on her other wise lime green tail.

Then there were the younger females: Pod and Little Tye. They were the other two Tyrannosaurs that herded the direhorses. Then there was the alpha male, Buck. Buck was huge, even among his fellow Tyrannosaurs, and as such, was the leader of his family group.

Dr. Johnson took notes of how he was able to lift the direhorse and shake it like he did. He had never done that before, she wondered where he learned how to do that.

She was the behavioral scientist for a few of the larger animals, but these guys were by far her favorite. In truth, it was kind of a contest between the other scientists over who would capture the executives more. Her only real concern were the raptors. They were...eerily smart, scary even. When they look at you...you could see this terrifying flash of intelligence and you just know they're thinking..._thinking._

She shook her head, no she was confident that Buck would be the deciding factor of whether she won or not.

* * *

Parker led the executives to the facility that held their operation, but stopped just before the doors. "Before we head in there, I want to let you guys know what you're going to see. We've selected seven species that we believe will be best suited for the environment on Pandora." His face took on a more serious expression, "And I have to ask for safety reasons; none of you have any heart conditions right?"

The executives were slightly taken aback at the question. They collectively shook their heads in disagreement.

"Ok...good, good. Well just so you all know, these aren't the animals that lived millions of years ago, but I'd like to think of them as being even better! We've incorporated some characteristics that the native Pandoran fauna have; natural carbon fiber in the bones, camouflage from the bio-luminescence of the plants to better conceal themselves when need be, and a few other things I think you all will enjoy."

He winked and led them through the double doors and before them was a huge complex, filled with the stench of dead animals and a series of strange and loud roars. Parker led them through a hallway with large plexiglass panels on both sides, like a zoo almost.

"To your left, you'll see the first animals we're planning on bringing, along with the behavioral scientist that's been overlooking them, Dr. Jacob Montgomery."

A balding, middle aged man, wearing the typical scientist coat, shook each of their hands and walked over to the panel, "So as I'm sure you've seen, there are quite a few swamps, rivers and wetlands scattered across Pandora." The executives nodded in agreement.

"Well the animals I have been tasked in supervising are most efficient in these areas. If you look into the pen here, " he turned to look at the environment behind him: low lying trees, partly masked by the foggy interior, and surrounded by dark and murky water.

"The environment in there is much like the wetlands we have here on Earth, and just like in the wetlands, the apex predator is the alligator."

One of the executives, an older black woman, raised a brow in scrutiny, "You intend to bring an alligator to Pandora?"

Dr. Montgomery chuckled, "Yes we do. Watch."

Inside the swamp, a lone viperwolf walked through the muddy ground. It walked casually, completely unperturbed at its' surroundings. It stopped by the water's edge and began to drink. All of the sudden, a huge gaping mouth burst from the water and fit the entire animal in its' huge jaws. The massive creature dragged the screaming viperwolf under the water, and a shocked silence fell over the executives. Bubbles floated up and a small amount of blood stained the water's edge.

Dr. Montgomery laughed, "Ladies and gentleman, I give you Deinosuchus! We bred two of them, and with the smaller one being thirty six feet, and the larger one being forty one feet, they are quite the hand full. I personally guarantee that if these big boys are in the water, nothing will want to get a drink."

Parker's face lit up with surprise, "Oh yeah, hey tell them about that armor they have!"

Dr. Montgomery was surprised as well, "Thanks for reminding me. You guys probably couldn't see it because it happened so fast, but the animals we've bred, especially the bigger ones, have developed this heavy duty organic armor that some of the animals here on Earth have developed, called osteoderms. We've even tested the Na'vi's bows and arrows against it. I can't speak for the smaller ones, but they would hardly break the skin of the larger animals."

One of the executives, a bald and fat man, asked, "What about the poison the Na'vi use? How would that affect the animals?"

"Good question. We couldn't make them immune to the stuff, but they've definitely built up an tolerance for it. Coupled with the armor, I wouldn't worry too much about it."

The executives clapped and had huge smiles plastered across their faces, they were clearly interested in Parker's idea.

Parker began to lead the executives further down the hall, "Beautiful as always, Jacob, make sure those big bastards don't eat too much this time," he laughed and after a few minutes of walking, pointed to his right, "And here you'll see one of our smaller predators, but I'm gonna let Dr. Martha Avery explain why that doesn't matter."

In front of this glass panel, was a woman with graying blonde hair, and a warm smile. "So one of the problems we had with the native people was that they constantly attacked the perimeter fences. The creatures you see behind me," she nodded to a small clearing, surrounded by trees, with about seven small, darkly colored carnivores playing and roaming, "are the ultimate perimeter watch."

At that moment a robot that was painted blue to resemble the Na'vi walked into the clearing. As soon as one of them saw the robot, they started chirping loudly, like birds. They surrounded the robot and these large frills unfolded from their necks. The frills were brightly colored and had rattlesnake like rattles all around. Then they started spitting this thick, tar like venom. It hit the eyes of the robot with extreme accuracy and they converged on the robot, biting it and tearing at it with their claws.

"Allow me to show you Dilophosaurus. We've bred ten in all, each highly venomous, and unafraid of the large fauna found on Pandora. These guys are ambush predators, and will furiously roam their perceived territory, making them ideal to put outside the fences."

They were about to start clapping, when the robot walked through a door in the hall. Its' blue skin was drenched in the Dilophosaur venom. The eyes were particularly covered.

The older woman curiously asked, "What are the symptoms of the venom?"

"When spit into the eyes: immediate blindness, nausea and eventually paralysis. If soaked through the skin, severe rash, nausea and paralysis. "

The curious executives were about to touch the venom, until the heard the soaking through the skin part. The gray haired executive walked over to Parker and placed a hand on his shoulder and said aloud, "It seems that we've placed our resources in the right hands. I hope that our interest will grow stronger with the bigger animals."

Parker's expression was of genuine happiness for once, "Oh you guys haven't seen anything yet!"

As Parker led them through the hall, the sounds of stomping and roars could be heard much clearer now. There was a scientist waiting for them, she was much younger than the first two they met. She had light brown hair, and behind her glasses were a pair of light green eyes. She had a warm smile and was a little too excited to look professional.

Parker walked up and introduced her, "This is the behavioral scientist for most of the bigger animals, Dr. Miya Johnson."

Dr. Johnson's face was exploding with a youthful exuberance long since forgotten by her peers, "So these are the Carcharodontosaurs," she pointed to the savannah behind her. Complete with large rock formations and a large lake in the middle.

Farther back, there stood two large animals with dark backs and a grey underbelly, complete with a red patch above both eyes, giving them an intimidating presence. They were both on opposite sides of the lake, drinking from it.

The gray haired executive was confused, "You only bred two?"

"Well we originally bred four, but they're very solitary animals and won't accept a lot of company in their environment, even of the opposite sex. Except when they're hunting," her enthusiasm showed she was delighted to answer a question, "When they hunt, they're pretty organized. With their highly developed sense of smell and sheer size, I believe they're best suited for hunting at night and for hunting or intimidating larger Pandoran fauna."

The executives clapped and were even more impressed with this one than the others. Probably because of the size of the giant theropods over anything else.

Parker led the executives down the hall, Dr. Johnson in tow. She was thinking about what she was going to say about the other animals under her care. They didn't need it of course, they spoke for themselves, but she needed to put that pizazz on it to make it all the better.

While lost in thought, she almost didn't hear the fat executive say, "So just how many animals are under your care?"

She snapped out of her daze and happily replied, "Nine, and they're all a handful!" They both chuckled at that as they walked.

After a few more minutes, they came upon a window that revealed a moderately wooded area, with small patches of open prairies. Slits of sunlight pushed through the overgrowth to reveal...nothing.

Dr. Johnson looked around the enclosure and couldn't find the next animal. She pulled a small device out of her pocket; it looked like a remote of some kind. She pressed a large button at the top and within moments, two dark brown creatures came stomping out into plain view.

"These guys are the Giganotosaurs. Along with their impressive size and strength, they have excellent camouflage. It's actually pretty amazing...they were practically right in front of us and we didn't even see them."

The executives had many questions but ultimately held their tongues for the moment.

"I believe they're best suited for deep jungle. Nothing will see these guys except for us." She winked, showing her confidence in the animals.

They clapped and laughed as they watched the two giants walk back into the forest.

This time as they walked, Dr. Johnson walked ahead of the group, traipsing backwards like a child. She asked them, "Parker asked if you guys have heart problems right?"

The executives looked wary, but all shook their heads yes.

"Ok good because this next guy is..._big_."

The executives walked just a bit faster in anticipation for what was ahead. This window revealed a savannah, much like the environment in the Carcharodontosaur's pen, except there was a large river flowing through the middle, and a some trees dotting the background.

Dr. Johnson smiled, as this was also one of her favorites. Not as much as the Tyrannosaurs, but not far behind. She pressed the button on the remote, and within moments, long arms with sharp talons came into view from the side, then the bottom of a jaw and finally the rest of the huge creature. The executives had to scoot back to view the entirety of the animal.

"That is our resident Spinosaurus. Those long arms and sharp teeth make for one hell of a death trap. These guys primarily live around streams and swamps, but like most of the other animals, he can hunt most anywhere."

The gray haired executive could catch flies with his mouth open wide as it was. He kept staring at the sail, however, "Won't that sail be a hindrance in battle?"

Dr. Johnson shook her head in understanding. Of course they're going to try and see the down side, they're paying for all this. "If anything gets in Spike's way, that's the sail is last thing they're going to be worried about."

"Spike?" Parker said while chuckling.

Her face quickly took on a reddish hue, "Uh, yeah that's...what I named him. I've been working with them for a while now, and it's hard not to give them names."

Parker shook his head, curiosity satiated.

The older black woman smiled, "I like the name. It's definitely appropriate for the animal."

Dr. Johnson smiled appreciatively. At least someone wasn't weirded out by it.

Parker moved them down the hall, "And this will be the last large animal, am I correct, Dr. Johnson?"

"Yes, the next will be the Tyrannosaurus rex enclosure."

The executives jerked their heads at the mention of one of the most recognizable names in history, and walked with an excited vigor. The habitat here was of a moderately thick jungle. It was slightly darker because of the thick mass of leaves, but a tail could plainly be seen sticking out of the bushes to the side. It was lime green with darker brown blotches across its back and a white tip at the end of the tail.

Dr. Johnson was more than delighted to tell them about these animals, "Now these guys are a bit different than the other large carnivorous theropods in that instead of being solitary, they are very social animals. We have four in there and they are never more than a roar away from one another. If one feels it is threatened, all it has to do is call to its' family group and backup will arrive if it wasn't there already."

"We have a special surprise for you all at this enclosure. If you'd look at the tree line to your right." Dr. Johnson had the biggest smile plastered across her face.

At that moment, a huge and angry Hammerhead Titanothere smashed through the tree line; the trunk splintered and leaves fell everywhere as the tree fell with a mighty thud.

The Tyrannosaur in the bushes wheeled around and saw what was in its territory, and opened its mouth, showing its huge teeth and roared a threatening roar.

The executives were so captured by the scene unfolding before them that they were oblivious to Parker's extreme uncontentment. He quickly walked over to Maya and pulled her to the side, "What the hell are you doing! We can't risk injury before they even get off the planet! Do you realize how much money this whole thing cost? Are you trying to get me fir-..."

Maya put her finger up to his lips, "Parker, I have been the one overlooking them, and I have complete faith in their ability to do this. I wouldn't risk anything I know they couldn't handle," she paused to look at the battle, not taking her eyes off of the spectacle, "Besides, it's not like they aren't going to see these creatures in bigger numbers when we get there."

The Tyrannosaur and the Titanothere sized each other up in a series of stomps and hisses. Then, two more Tyrannosaurs showed up side by side. They ran to the side of their fellow Tyrannosaur and the three of them began to surround the creature, when a huge roar came from the trees.

A fourth and...huge Tyrannosaur stood behind the fallen tree. It looked at the other three and without having to make a sound, they backed away. It planted a foot on the tree and stepped over it, making the ground shake as it landed. It never took its eyes off the Titanothere. It got in front of the others and the two stood, staring.

Without warning, they both charged. The Titanothere lowered its large head, hoping to hit the legs. The Tyrannosaur side stepped and bit down behind the neck and began to try and jerk it to its knees. The Titanothere did not give up, it screamed and rammed the side of its skull into the Tyrannosaur's knee. Something that would have normally been a mortal wound for a regular . The leg slightly buckled but the Tyrannosaurs' grip was absolute, the Titanothere would not get away.

The sound of crunching could be heard; the creature's armor was beginning to crack from the crushing force of the Tyrannosaurs' jaws. The other three decided it was time to help and each took their place around the creature and bit down. Four sets of powerful jaws closed on the Titanothere's back and shoulders, and of course its neck.

After a few minutes of struggling around with its' captors, the Titanothere visibly began to tire. Finally, the huge rex let go and backed away. The others did the same, which puzzled everyone behind the glass. Everyone except Maya that is.

The big Tyrannosaurus took a step back and charged the Titanothere's side, with one huge head butt, the Titanothere was roughly shoved on its' side, and had a large foot come down on its' neck, to ensure it did not get back up. With its unarmored underbelly showing, the remaining Tyrannosaurs converged upon it and tore it apart.

"Holy shit..." was the response by the once scrutinizing, gray haired executive. Parker turned and looked at him through bulging, surprised eyes.

The remaining two executives applauded louder than they had at previous enclosures; it was clear Dr. Johnson had won the contest so far. But next were the raptors...

Parker and the executives walked down the hallway, clearly talking about the spectacle they just witnessed. Dr. Johnson laughed and looked at the Tyrannosaurs gorging themselves on the carcass of a once very formidable Pandoran giant.

"You guys did great...I knew they'd love you all." She held her hand against the glass, staring at them with a smile. After a few moments, she walked back down the hall the way she came.

* * *

"This is the last stop, the raptor pen." Parker opened a set of double doors for the executives to walk through.

The area through the doors looked like a maximum security prison; armed guards patrolled the catwalks and watched the cameras looming over the domed glass.

The executives looked around uneasily. The gray haired man curiously asked, "Is all of this really necessary?"

One of the guards standing on the catwalk directly above him snorted. Once the guard realized who he was smarting off to, he very quickly turned and walked away.

Ahead of them was a pit, with electric wires surrounding the edges of the top. Inside the pit was a football field sized jungle, complete with tall trees, and a running waterfall on the far wall that leads a stream down the center. Parker led them to a set of stairs that went to ground level with the pit, separated by glass of course.

The fat executive looked around him, "Where is the scientist for these animals?"

"Trust me, they'll speak for themselves." His smirk looked ominously excited.

Parker pulled a remote like the one Dr. Johnson had, and pressed the big button. Without a second's wait, a Velociraptor jumped out of the bushes and slammed against the reinforced glass. The executives all but fell on their collective asses when they saw the teeth and claws racing at them. Parker rushed over to the wall and hit a large button that caused steam to shoot out from the top of the glass panels, covering the raptor in hot steam.

It was dark gray with black stripes along its back and legs, like a tiger of sorts, with brown and green blotches all over its body. It shook its head, furiously trying to rid itself of the heat of the steam. Once finished, it leaned forward, about to charge again. Parker hit the button once again and steam came out like the first time.

This time, the raptor was just beyond the steam's grasp. After the steam diminished, it stood there for a few moments, staring at Parker. After a moment more, it mockingly jumped, causing Parker to hit the steam again.

The raptor watched the steam again, and this time when it stopped, the raptor watched Parker's hand, not his face. Parker noticed this and moved his hand away from the button slowly, the raptor's eyes followed and its posture visibly relaxed. He moved his hand faster towards the button and the raptor took a step back, obviously aware of what Parker was doing.

At that moment, two other raptors sprang from the bushes at full sprint, racing for the glass. Parker's hand got ready to hit the steam, and the first raptor made a loud hissing like noise. Dust and pebbles flew forward as they stopped dead in their tracks. They both looked to it and listen as it made a series of bird like chirps and clicks. After it was done, the two raptors turned back to the glass and hissed, but keeping their distance.

The woman executive shook her head, "No...no that's impossible. Nothing is that smart besides us."

They watched as the raptors ran back into the jungle. Parker relaxed and the four of them walked to the doors on the other side of the room.

Parker chuckled,"Well as I'm sure you've seen from Dr. Johnson and I, we can use these remotes to call upon the animals. Well we're more than capable of using them for more than that. Every animal has a set of neural implants that allow us to influence them. We don't use them often because we don't want the animal to get used to being told what to do, but in order to be able to do this, we had to make their brains a bit more complex. Otherwise the implants would have fried the animal's system."

He paused, gauging their reactions.

"The animals are smarter than their older counterparts, as you saw with the Tyrannosaurs, but these raptors are...something else entirely."

"So now that you've seen where your investment has gone...do we have your support?"

The three looked to each other and all nodded in agreement to one another. The gray haired executive reached his hand out for a handshake, "Yes, you have our support. Congratulations; you're going back to Pandora."

* * *

**So that was it! If this does well, y'all can be sure I'll continue this. Huge shout out to Jonas Grant's "Apex" for giving me the inspiration to write this. I've always thought of doing something like this, but his story made me really want to do it! Y'all should check his stuff; he's a really good writer! **

**Just know I scaled these animals up a bit because the animals on Pandora are quite big, I know how big these animals actually were.  
**

**Deinosuchus, 2 animals: (No names have been decided, but will accept names if someone PMs me)**

**#1:** 11 meters in length (roughly 36 feet), 1 meter in height (roughly 3 feet when laying on stomach), 4 to 5 tons.

**#2: **12.5 meters in length (roughly 41 feet), 1 meter in height, 4 to 5 tons.

**Dilophosaurus, 10 animals: (No names have been decided and probably won't be given)**

**#1-10:** 3 to 4 meters in length (roughly 10 to 12 feet), 1.7 meters in height (5 feet 6 inches), 150+ pounds.

**Carcharodontosaurus, 2 animals: (No names have been decided, but will accept names if someone PMs me)**

**#1-2: **14 meters in length (about 46 feet), 5.5 meters in height (roughly 18 feet), 12 tons.

**Giganotosaurus, 2 animals: (No names have been decided, but will accept names if someone PMs me)**

**#1-2:** 13.5 meters in length (roughly 44 feet), 5 meters in height (roughly 16 feet), 13 tons.**  
**

**Spinosaurus, 1 animal: (Name has been decided. Am not accepting PMs for this one)**

**Spike:** 15 meters in length (roughly 50 feet), 5.8 meters at top of head (roughly 19 feet) 7.3 meters at top of spine (roughly 24 feet), 18 tons.

**Tyrannosaurus, 4 animals: (Names have been decided. Am not accepting PMs for these guys)**

**White tip:** 12.8 meters in length (roughly 42 feet), 5.2 meters in height (roughly 17 feet), 14 tons.

**Pod:** 12.8 meters in length, 5.2 meters in height, 14 tons.

**Little Tye:** 11.5 meters in length (roughly 38 feet), 5 meters in height (roughly 16 feet), 13 tons.

**Buck:** 14 meters in length (roughly 46 feet), 5.6 meters in height (roughly 18 feet), 16 tons.

**Velociraptor, 6 animals: (Names have not been decided, but will accept PMs for 3 of them)**

**#1-6:** 5.2 meters long (roughly 17 feet), 2.1 meters in height (roughly 7 feet), 500+ pounds.


	2. Unnatural Selection

**Author's note: Before you read this, I have to thank a very special person for giving me the inspiration to pick up this story again. DONOVAN94...you are one of a kind, and I couldn't possibly have done this without you. So, from one friend to another, I thank you. I hope you have as much fun reading this as I had writing it.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Unnatural Selection  
**

Parker stood among the workers loading equipment and the animals into the ship. The cargo bay they were in was truly a sight to see: ships towering over specks of human beings, lights flashing all around for various reasons, the ceiling was so high, clouds were above them. The acrid stench of welding equipment and sweaty workers disgusted him, but it was his only way to get back to Pandora, so he could bear it, if only for a little while.

"Mr. Selfridge." He turned to see Dr. Johnson standing there with a look of obvious annoyment. If her tone and expression were correct, she was very mad about something. "Oh, hello, Miya. Great presentation! The Tyrannosaurs really wowed the executives."

She shifted her weight to the other foot, put a hand on her hip and pointed the other towards a group of four workers taking photos and messing with a fully grown and sedated Tyrannosaurus rex. "Then please tell me why you allow those assholes to treat them that way?"

Parker suddenly felt under pressure by her gaze. "They're just messing around. We're about to launch anyways, Miya, calm down."

His steady look of ease calmed her down, and a feeling of embarrassment came over her, "Yeah...yeah you're right, it's just that I've always been nervous on planes and stuff, and this...well this is so much worse. Has my nerves messed up, you know?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, "yeah I know. Now get to your assigned pod. We'll be leaving soon."

He cupped her shoulder and gently pushed her towards the doors, he followed after her. After making sure she went down the right hallway, Parker began walking to his own pod. He never did like cryogenic stasis; it always gave him a sense of weariness and nausea, like jet lag, but amplified. He chuckled as he thought about how Miya compared this trip to riding in an airplane.

As a medical officer put tubes and wires here and there around him, he stared at the ceiling with a sense of excitement befitting a child the night before their birthday. Without a word, the officer silently shut the lid and darkness overcame him.

* * *

"Sir...sir, it's time to wake up. I have them waiting in the briefing room. Forty of my best men, all waiting for you."

Parker looked up to see a man with trimmed dark brown hair, a perpetual brooding scowl, and a withered expression unbefitting of his age. "You sure are a sight for sore eyes, Cole." Cole smirked, despite himself.

Parker groggily stood up and nearly fell on the man. He saw that he had to look up at Cole. He was quite a large man.

As they walked to the briefing room, Parker began to feel a tad bit of hesitation. These new private contractors were the toughest, most notorious killers on Earth. The PMC they work for only enlisted the best of the worst the world had to offer, and the men hired by the RDA were personally picked by the second in command of the PMC, Cole Hallsey. Men that kill women, children, anyone who either gets in their way or has a price on their head.

And these were the men he was about to step in front of.

He walked in the room, Cole in tow. They all surrounded a long table with a large hologram of the landing zone.

These men were new to the SecOps ranks, and as such, had never personally seen Pandora, but they were hired by Parker on account of needing more man power than they had. Usually he just hired ex-marines or the like, but these men were special. They were a feared company of mercenaries who enlisted only the best, and worked for only the top bidder. For the enemy, they were a security nightmare. True shadows in the sunlight. And today, they work for the RDA as recon.

On the far wall across from Parker, the thick, metal wall opened up to a window displaying a very bright, very awe inspiring sight.

The SecOps recon team looked upon the impressive sight of Pandoran atmosphere with utter wonder. The bio-luminescence of the plants on the surface made the view from space beautiful. Like Earth once was, but so much more.

They all stood around the large table with a new hologram of the once fully operational base. The room was large and filled with over forty mercenaries, all fully geared and hands on their weapons. They all had wartime experience: engaging enemies of all types, but none of them could quite grasp that they were possibly going to engage hostile aliens. The tension among them was palpable.

They wore solid black fatigues and armor, their faces masked with air masks and headgear. They all had a thin, clear visor with the latest HUD: infared, night vision, facial recognition, these things had it all.

Parker mustered his courage, "Alright gentlemen, you all know why we're here." He was very proud of how steady and firm his voice was. "Once you are dropped down, you will make your way to here," he pointed to the base in the hologram. "Once you give the all clear, we will begin to send shuttles to set down supplies and men. We need to do this quickly and quietly. Speed and aggression is what it is all about. You all can do speed and aggression, right?"

Even though he couldn't see their faces, he could tell every man in the room was smirking.

"Any questions?"

They all began to pile out of the room when Parker said, "And remember...no prisoners."

* * *

"Alpha in position. Bravo, move up to the ridge line and give us a clear line of sight." Cole spoke softly, his words masked by the ambiance of a thick jungle. A few moments later, his earpiece spoke, "Bravo in position, uploading visuals."

Suddenly Cole and his men saw what Bravo team saw: in the harsh green glow of night vision, they saw a thick and hardy treeline that met clear cut land; grass and other low lying vegetation partly covered the tire tracks and dirt road that led to a decaying facility. The concrete and metal were a huge contrast to the brightly colored plants that surrounded it.

In a hushed, but firm tone, Cole said, "Charlie, Delta, move up with us. Bravo, keep an eye out for any blues."

"Yes, sir."

Each squad was split into ten men, all with varying roles. Bravo was the support squad, Alpha, Charlie, and Delta were the muscle.

Cole and his men silently pushed aside plants and made their way to the front gates. "Cole, I've got two blues heading your way from the north west." He quickly commanded the rest of the men to stop and crouch, "Do they see us?"

"No...it looks like they're just playing. How unfortunate for them that they're headed right for you." The man's tone was detached, completely void of pity or understanding.

Cole nodded to two men to his left and a man to his right. The four began to move up, the rest stayed where they were. They knew what was happening. He finally saw them; a male and a female native, walking together. They talked and laughed in their native tongue, and it was clear that they were no threat.

The four men silently got on both sides of the Na'vi, and waited for their chance. The thick undergrowth greatly masked the threat that surrounded them. After the two reached Cole and his men, he gave the order, "Drop 'em."

All of the sudden, the male's head caved in and spat a large amount of blood. As he fell, the two men in the bushes rushed to catch him before he hit the ground. He was heavy, and quite a bit taller then they were, but the two dragged him into the bushes, unbeknownst to the female. She was slightly ahead of him, and didn't see what happened to her companion, but after a few moments of him not talking back to her, she turned to reveal she was alone, or so she thought.

She got half a word out before the same fate fell upon her. She too was caught before hitting the ground and dragged into the darkness.

"All clear. Let's get into this place before we have anyone come looking for them."

* * *

Parker was checking on the dinosaurs when his radio spoke, "Sir, we're in." He almost hesitantly reached for it, fumbling with it in his hands in confusion, "W-...how? That was so fast."

"We're good at what we do." was the quick and prideful remark, followed by, "How long until we're operational, sir?"

"We'll have all the basics for operations in less than an hour, coupled with the supplies we left behind...I'd say this won't take long."

"Very good, sir."

* * *

Jake sat with his fellow tribe members next to a fire. Everyone was eating and telling stories, all in good spirits. Neytiri sat beside him, leaning on his shoulder, her tail gently swaying and interlocking with his. It was a good night, he thought, like nothing could sway his feelings right now.

That is, until one of his top hunters leaned over and whispered in his ear that two of their people were missing, and asking what they should do about it. He sighed, of course there was something. There had to be something. Nevertheless, it was important, and he saw what he had to do. In the Na'vi tongue, he said, "We will form a search party, everyone else must stay here."

The hunter nodded and motioned to the two Na'vi behind him. Jake followed them to the Direhorses, where they mounted and rode off. They knew where these two usually went, the trail that they always went down, that they were always scolded for going down for long periods of time. It seems now that they must answer for their transgressions.

After riding to the area, Jake dismounted and began looking at the soil for any signs of tracks. He found none that he recognized, but a set that looked so...familiar. It was small, and oddly shaped. Instantly he recognized it as a human boot print.

One of his hunters yelled in a mixture of shock and horror that he had found the missing Na'vi. Jake immediately rushed over to see what had become of his fellow tribe members. He had a feeling of dread in his gut as he pushed through the ferns, making his way to them. His fears were confirmed when he came upon the bodies. They lay, sprawled on the ground, their heads bloody with very large holes. The stench of decay was immense, so they had been here for at least a few hours.

He called to the others and they all got on their direhorses and quickly rode back to the rest of the clan. Jake knew where they had went without even having to look. The RDA were picking up where they left off.

* * *

"Are those..._real?" _Cole was in complete and utter amazement at the raptors below him. This day was the best of his life. He'd fought through every major human conflict in the last three years, and he'd always been on the winning side of it, but today he'd seen aliens _and _dinosaurs. Nothing could compare.

They were standing on one of the higher buildings of the base, and could see below how the RDA crudely built a large pit with electric wires surrounding the edges of it. Their hisses and snarls could be heard quite clearly, coupled with their muscular bodies and razor sharp claws, they were a dangerous, but a beautiful sight to see.

Parker smiled too. Despite being one of the smallest, the raptors were second to no other in his mind. They were the true specialists of this mission, and if given half the chance, could do the job better than any of the private contractors...and do it a hell of a lot cheaper.

"If you watch them long enough, you can tell what the social structure is." He pointed to a larger raptor standing off to the side, watching the others fight and play, occasionally hissing if one fight got too rough or if one got too close.

Cole looked on in fascination, bewildered at the intelligence that they displayed. Even from here, he could see how they went for the legs or eyes, anything that would be a debilitating injury for an animal...or human. He saw beside the alpha, a smaller, more gracile raptor. It wasn't paying attention to the others, but had its sights on the fences.

He saw how its eyes tracked the cables that ran along the fence, and from its point of view, disappeared over the edge. It looked there for a very long time before setting its sights on him. The long head that sat on a muscular neck, staring at him with the unmoving stillness befitting a reptile, but it cocked its head to the side with the suddenness of a bird, still intently watching him.

He saw with a detached horror how its eyes followed the shape of his firm build. Standing side by side, the raptor was taller than him, and it seemed that even from this distance, he felt small and insignificant under the wandering gaze of this strange creature.

This intense study was interrupted by another large raptor threateningly walking towards the alpha, its tail was fully erect, and its head bobbed as it approached, giving it the appearance of an ostrich, but those claws and teeth were bared in an unmistakably velociraptor fashion.

The effect was immediate. The alpha snarled a vicious threat, but it did nothing to sway the other raptor's rage. It was clear this was going to go to the end.

Cole looked over to Parker with a sense of urgency, "Aren't you going to do something? They'll kill each other."

"These animals live under a very strict social structure. If I interrupt this time, they'll simply be at it the next time they're together. Believe me when I say this: raptors do not forget things."

They circled, sizing each other up. The other raptors were watching to see if a new alpha would be crowned. The second in command was ahead of the rest, watching with that critical, inspecting glare.

The alpha was the first to charge. Silently it flung itself at the contender, and their bodies clashed in a volley of slashing claws and bites. Instantly blood was drawn, and both contestants were bleeding profusely from their arms, legs, and the alpha suffered a sort of limp.

The challenger saw this weakness and saw its chance. It pounced high into the air and crashed down on the alpha. It raised its hind claw, ready to deliver the killing blow.

All of the sudden, the smaller raptor leaped from the side and in a very precise fashion, clamped its jaws around the bigger raptor's neck. With one final shriek of rage, its throat was ripped out and a sickening sound of blood gurgling in the back of the creature's throat was emitted. It fell, heaving heavily. Even as the blood gushed form its wounds, the raptor still did not succumb to death. It just layed there, desperately gasping for life, trying to hang on.

Parker pointed out, "We've learned that dinosaur physiology differs greatly from animals today, even from animals here on Pandora. These dinosaurs, including those raptors, have a distributed nervous system, meaning a direct shot to the brain will not kill them instantly. With thick ribs and strong muscles surrounding the torso, makes a heart shot very unlikely. All of this, along with the carbon fibers in their bones, makes them the ultimate feat in genetic modification." Parker paused and looked at the wounded raptor for a very long time, thinking, "Slow to bleed out. Slow to die."

Cole couldn't believe what he was hearing. These things sounded like the ultimate predators. Something that would be very, very bad to meet in person.

The second in command slowly walked over to the injured alpha and timidly dipped its head low, as if waiting for approval. The alpha made a low rumble and instantly was being checked on by the other. It licked the alpha's wounds and stayed close, making sure the others kept their distance.

Parker couldn't help but smile, despite losing a very important asset, "We call her Raksha. It's the Na'vi word for 'loyal friend'. Pretty ironic in our sense, but we couldn't think of a better name, considering the behavior she displays towards the alpha.

Cole couldn't help but think that the raptor was more loyal than any of his men. "Well shit."

Parker looked over at him in confusion, but was given no answer, "What?"

Cole looked over at him, "Nothing, just thinking."

Parker walked away from the raptor pen and watched as the dilophosaurs were herded outside the main fences. There were fences separating the workers and dinosaurs, but eye protection as still needed as they could easily spit through the chain link. The main walls were solid steel, so once they got to the outside, the gates would be closed.

Dilophosaur pheromones had been placed in specific areas to provide an approximate territorial range for the animals. They knew where their home was, and it was spread out all over the outer perimeter.

He watched as they timidly sniffed their new environment, listening to the sound of insects and other animals in the jungle. It still astounded him how bird like they were. The quick jerks of the head to view something more clearly, the methodical, almost flashy way it walked. He couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment as they began to play and patrol their new home.

"Hello, boys."

They both turned to see Miya, cheerful as ever, if looking a bit sick. "Wacha got down there?" She walked over to the window and viewed the dilophosaurs hooting and meandering about. She smiled as well, until she turned her sights onto the dead velociraptor, which was being fed on by the others.

"What the _hell_, Parker! We can't afford to keep losing those animals like that!" Parker put his hands up in a mock surrender, as he so often did when he was in trouble, "Calm down, Miya, I know how valuable better than anyone. That raptor attempted to become the alpha, and you know just as much as I do what that inclines."

Miya's glare subsided slightly, but the frustration was still obviously there. She was always the one to forgive first. The girl couldn't hold a grudge to save her life. "Fine. So what do you plan to do about the raptors then? Obviously since they are not in stasis, you're planning to release them first, yes?"

"Yes."

"So what is the target then? A tribe of Na'vi?" Her hand was on her hip, a clear sign that she was still frustrated as all hell.

Parker strolled over to a data table, revealing a large hologram of a small tribe of floor dwelling Na'vi. The outlines of nameless shapes walked across the huts and fires. Clearly unaware of what horror beheld them. Parker pointed to them, hardheartedly accusing them, "I figured this would be a good warm up for our raptors. Let's us see how good they really are against these..._things_."

He said that word with such distaste, it felt odd even to Miya. She had never been one for sympathy for the Na'vi; she stood with her fellow man, no matter what enemy he faced, but the way Parker talked about them made her feel a tinge of sympathy for them.

She shook it off and walked out of the room, "Well, I guess I should leave and tend to the oth-"

Parker looked up quickly, "No, no, no! Stay here. I want you and Cole to be here when they release them. I had cameras set behind the raptor's retinas, so we can see what they see all the time."

This interested Miya, on some internal level. She'd always wondered what these animals looked like as they hunted; the pack behavior was always very evident in velociraptors, but the exact way they utilized numbers was never truly documented...that is, until now.

Parker walked over to the hologram of the Na'vi and moved it to the compound they currently stood in. It showed all of the animals in a dark green hue, all standing over the grid lines that formed shapes resembling the environment around them.

Parker gave the signal to the workers outside, and the electrical fences were pulled away from the pit. The raptors easily leaped the ten foot gap with no electrical obstacles in their way. From there, Parker quickly pressed a button on the remote and the lead animal, the alpha, ran straight into the jungle. Without a moment's hesitation, the other followed suit.

Miya, always observant, asked, "How'd you get the dilophosaurs to not attack? And how do you plan to get the bigger animals through without hurting the dilophosaurs?

"I'm not the only one with one of these remotes, Miya. Every time there is a release, Dr. Avery tells them to just...walk to the other side of the compound for a few minutes, simple."

Parker walked over to the bank of monitors, displaying what the raptors saw.

* * *

He didn't know how he knew, but this overwhelming force told him to continue. He and the rest of the pack ran as fast as they could, finally able to move, unrestricted. The environment raced past him in a blur, but he was easily setting the pace for his pack. It wasn't long until they smelled something strange, something that was unlike the other smells around him.

Up ahead, he saw small plumes of smoke and heard sounds, not unlike the sounds he heard from the beings that held him captive. The gnawing, tearing, aching feeling in the pit of his being was insatiable. He knew there was prey, and he knew he must kill them.

He abruptly stopped, and hissed for his pack to do the same. They all came skidding to a stop and looked to him on what to do next. He took in his surroundings: large trees, bright colors, and an undeniable smell. He could sense the others smelled it too, and softly hissed to his second in command. The smaller raptor came forward, but made sure to give him space.

He made a series of clicks and sounds, giving her his direct orders. Each sound represented an object or idea, the others have learned to understand what they mean, and what needs to happen. It was an early form of speech, and was extremely effective when hunting.

The alpha tossed his head to the side, dismissing the second in command and another raptor. They silently stalked their way through the foliage, quickly making their way to their positions. Without having to be told, the other two raptors made their way to their positions as well.

* * *

It was just another day for Boracko, the leader of this small tribe. They had lived here for a long time, occasionally sparring with other clans over territory, but he had never experienced a real problem with his life. They had always lived in peace and tranquility, with an abundance in food and water.

He walked out of his hut and walked to the center of the village, where the fire was. The hunters had just gotten back with some big game and the women were preparing it for a feast. He looked around and saw children playing, men speaking and laughing, everyone was happy. He couldn't be any happier with his tribe than at this exact moment.

A child came up to him and poked his leg. He smiled and bent down, asking 'what the matter was' in Na'vi tongue. The child had a stunned, almost bemused look to him, and Boracko could sense something was wrong. Again he asked what the matter was, and instead of speaking, the child looked over to the jungle.

Boracko followed the child's gaze and looked around, trying to find something wrong. He almost missed it. He quickly looked back at the bush and saw it. A long head poked out of the foliage, staying ever still. Boracko could see from this distance, that its clawed, muscular arms were tucked very close to its body, and that it was studying him. It slowly and gently pushed the bushes out of its way, and now he could see the entire frame of this creature.

It stood upright, like he did, but with a long tail behind it. It was so methodical in the way it watched him. Every move he made was carefully inspected. He saw the large claws on its forearms and the sharp teeth sticking out of the side of its maw. He could tell this was a predator. It was clear that the animal didn't know it was spotted yet, and very slowly he began to creep towards his bow.

It happened so fast.

Suddenly he heard a piercing shriek unlike anything he'd ever heard and felt something running up behind him. Before he could turn, he felt a huge weight on his back that forced him onto the ground. Claws dug into his back and shoulders, a pain so terrible and crippling that he couldn't move. He felt the hot breath of the animal on his back and saw out of the corner of his eye, the sharp teeth. He felt something clamp down around his neck, and at that moment, he knew he was about to die.

* * *

"Did you see that!?" Parker's voice was completely ecstatic. The monitor he was looking at beheld a Na'vi being torn apart by one of the raptors that took to the back of the village. "They completely ambushed the entire tribe! Dr. Johnson, what do make of it?" He looked to her expectantly, waiting for her to confirm how awesome the raptors really were.

Being the caretaker for some of the largest carnivores to walk in existence, she was more than used to what they were capable of to other creatures. Still, the too human look of fear in the eyes of the Na'vi struck her somewhere so familiar and close to the heart.

She could never show it to Parker, however. "It is clear that these velociraptors are far superior to almost any other form of life on Earth or Pandora in terms of intelligence and planning. The way they communicated a plan, and how they executed it was unlike anything I've ever seen from something that wasn't human."

He was glad that someone else thought so too. He looked over to Cole with that same look of expectancy. Cole merely said, "I think that if those things get loose, it will be very, very bad."

Parker shook his head to the sides, "Don't worry. I didn't make the most dangerous animals on Earth to not have a backup plan."

* * *

Jake stood before all his assembled tribesmen, the Omatikaya clan staring up at him with their wide and expectant eyes. It didn't seem so long ago that he had stood before them like this, telling them equally grave news.

Had it really been almost ten years?

The only differences now, was that now he was Olo'eyktan, the tribe leader, and unlike before, his people would not turn on him at the news they were about to receive. And so, with Mo'at and Neytiri beside him, he stood before the People in their new home, their place of sanctuary since the RDA had destroyed Hometree.

Neytiri, his love and mate, stood next to him, her hand in his and as Jake began to speak, she translated it into the Na'vi language. Despite the fact that Jake's language lessons had come far, and that more of the Na'vi knew English now, sometimes both parties could get things wrong, and so it was easier to rely on this method in order for everyone to understand.

"Omatikaya: brothers, sisters..." Jake began. "Today, I bring very bad news... The Sky People have returned,"  
the response was immediate. Murmurs and whispers drifted through the tribe, some began to wail in fear and despair, other seemed furious, baring their teeth and lashing their tails in clear signs of aggression.

"I know we banished them back to their world," Jake said, trying to keep their focus on him. "But now they have returned. Our hunters found two of our own. They were killed by the Sky People." Jake had to pause from the rising whispers of vengeful fury and sorrow.

"Omatikaya, peace!" he shouted, and everyone quieted, and once again focused their attention on him. "I know that some of you want to fight, to avenge our tribe, to be rid of the Sky People once and for all. But just because we defeated them once, does not mean that it will be easy to do it again."

"But WE have the will of Eywa!" One male Na'vi shouted from the back, thrusting his bow into the air. A chorus of agreeing shouts echoed him.  
"Yes, but not even Eywa can help us this time!" Jake replied, a hint of desperation in his voice.

He needed them to understand the depth of the shit-storm that was about to erupt around as they quieted to look at him with confused eyes, Jake had to swallow a lump in his throat, calling on all his previous life's military training in order to beat down his nerves and speak to them as they would wish of their leader.

"A tribe of to the east have all been slain, but not by the Sky People. They had been killed by mysterious beings. No one was left alive." he finished in a disturbed whisper, the images of the bodies - looking as if they had literally been torn apart - still haunting his memories.  
"These...creatures, they are not like us. They do not speak with Eywa." Mo'at said aloud. Several whispers were heard through out the crowd.

"With threats around us, we cannot afford to go into battle blindly." Jake continued. "The Sky People may have returned but until we know exactly what they want and know what these _things_ are that killed the eastern tribe, we cannot go after them. So, I want the patrols doubled, and I want our finest hunters to meet with me at sundown to scout the camp of the Sky People. And make sure that no-one goes anywhere alone, we all need to look out for each other until our home is safe again."

* * *

Miya watched the raptors slowly re enter the compound, and was shocked to see that they actually stepped into the hastily built enclosure that was specially designed for natural cage breakers, such as them. Those remotes must be more powerful than she originally thought.

Parker was on the other side of the room, dismissing Cole to do some other...soldier thing, leaving them two. He strode over, pridefully, "Miya, those raptors were such a huge success! I can't believe how well they worked, I mean, did you see how many were in that village? At least a hundred. Maybe more. Well, that was just a warm up. Come dawn, we're gonna release the Tyrannosaurs. Leave 'em out overnight, let them get used to the area, get used to the animals, that kind of thing."

Miya's world blew up with possibilities and thoughts. Her stomach took on that sinking feeling when you become nervous. This was the first she had heard that they were releasing her animals. He smiled at her sudden look of surprise, "I know you've been waiting for a chance to release them."

She halfheartedly nodded her head, still partly detached, thoughtful "Finally being able to release the largest and most fearsome creatures to ever walk the face of the Earth onto a world filled with huge and terrifying aliens...I think I need to sit down."

Parker walked over to her and was about to say something when Cole entered the room. His rapid breathing indicated that he had been running to get here, "Sir, we have reports of a hunting party on the outer perimeter. They haven't attacked yet, so we believe they're scouts. What should we do?"

A strange look crept over Parker's face. One that could only mean something terrible was on the way for those unlucky Na'vi. "You will do nothing and you'll tell your men to stand down. I have something special for them."

Cole was incredulous, "Sir, why even have us here if we aren't going to do anything? The pay is great, but my men are getting bored here."

"You and your men are a security force, that's it. Those animals are our ticket to this fantastic breadbasket set before us now. They're the only reason you're being paid right now." And with that, he sent Cole out.

"Miya, it's your turn now. I want you to show those Na'vi what a real super predator looks like."

* * *

Jake and his hunters were laying among the grass and low lying shrubs, completely concealed by the forest. It had been a few hours now and the Sky People had not noticed them yet, and so the hunters took in the scene. The outside had not changed much, if a little more worn than last time, and there were a lot less of them patrolling the walls.

_It seems like they don't have near as many people as last time. Definitely not as many soldiers..._

Jake contemplated this while inspecting the outer perimeter. He kept hearing this strange hooting noise, along with a few other noises he had never heard before. He dismissed it as his imagination and kept watch on the main gates. All of the sudden, the bushes ahead of them rustled, and he could hear things running away.

He wondered what it was when the gates opened and he heard a loud and terrifying roar. He watched with an amazed horror as four huge, monstrous creatures stepped into plain view. They towered over everything around them and Jake had to quiet his hunters to keep them from gasping or running away.

The creatures had massive heads that were balanced by a long and thick tail, with green and brown coloration on their backs that were complemented by the tan underbelly. Their large and powerful legs made the ground tremble with every step. Each of them had two arms with two clawed digits, something that seemed so familiar to Jake, but he was too gripped with fear to think.

There were four of them. The one in front was by far the biggest. It sniffed the air, and after a moment of viewing the area, it walked straight in their direction. The four figures walking toward him were a true terror to behold for Jake. He knew he would have to run, but he found that his arms and legs were shaking too badly to move.

He saw the scared faces of his fellow Na'vi, and a surge of renewed vigor made him jump to his feet and yell, "Run!"

In that moment, several things happened. The creatures spotted them, and with a loud roar, began chasing after them. A few of his hunters jumped up and began running with him, but one was too scared to get up. He felt the ground truly shake as the creatures ran after them, and Jake heard the short cry of a dying friend.

He chanced a look back to see what had become of the hunter. He almost cringed at the scene behind them. They didn't just eat him, they destroyed him. He was lying on the ground, one animal placed their foot on his body and raked its claws across the ground, ripping him apart. Another dipped its head down, out of his view. He had to look away as it tore a ragged chunk of flesh.

They all ran into the jungle, where the trees provided a sanctuary from the danger behind them. The Na'vi quickly climbed the tree, using their nails and knives and whatever they had to to ensure elevation. Jake got to the tree first and had gotten to a reasonably high branch before hearing another short, surprised scream.

Jake stood on the branch and looked down at the four of them. The two from before had caught up with its friends and they were all now circling the tree. He watched with disgust as the hunter's legs slid down throat of the big one. He wiped his sweaty brow and closed his eyes, resting, when the tree shook violently. With a renewed horror, he realized they were beginning to knock the tree down.

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**So guys, how was it? Leave a review of any comments, suggestions, etc.**


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